Consumers are increasingly relying on devices that are portable and easy to carry, such as smart phones and tablet computers. These devices often include a front-facing camera located on the device as well as a rear-facing camera. Conventionally, the front-facing camera is well suited for self-portraits with framing and expression visible in the display, while the rear-facing camera often takes better images due to enhancements such as an autofocus lens, a higher quality lens, a higher-resolution sensor, a sensor with high dynamic range (HDR) imaging modes, and being equipped with a flash for low-light situations.
Due to the various enhancements of the rear-facing camera, users sometimes use or at least attempt to use the rear-facing camera to capture self-portraits. However, this can be tedious for a user because there is generally no display screen on the back of the device and the shutter activation input (e.g., button, touch screen element, etc.) is usually located on the front of the device. This can leave a user guessing as to what is actually being captured by the rear-facing camera. In addition to being generally inconvenient, attempting to capture an image in this way may introduce blur or other disturbance caused by a user's fingers when the user is trying to activate the shutter on the opposite side of the device. The less than optimal alternative is to photograph one's self in a mirror.